Man, I've been having a craving for Pho for a while and the one I go to in Shanghai is not very good.

Hard to do one per post, as I have a favorite one in a lot of cities (self gloss, yeah, whatever). I'll do the ones for the top 3 cities I spend most of my time in:

Shanghai:
- Southern Barbarian (The European beer selection is particularly good)
- Kommune (Best brunch, including best coffee and juices in Shanghai)
- Victorian Home (Excellent Shanghainese food. And Shanghainese food tends to be very poor!)

Singapore
- PS Cafe (It's international food and generally good for brunch, but what makes it so good is the location at Dempsey Hill)
- The French Stall (Hawker style - e.g. super casual - French dining by a one Michelin star chef in Little India)

Applebee's. Although it has been on the decline lately, Applebees was my favourite restaurant for well over a decade. Fortunately, they still have my favourite dish on the menu: Fiesta Lime Chicken (in some places called Tequila Lime Chicken)

It's two grilled chicken breasts over crispy tortilla strips, with mexi-ranch sauce and cheese over the top of it, pico de gallo, and mexican rice. With a lime for squeezing. (it's delicious with the lime juice)

Two complaints: Pico sucks, but fortunately it's on the side; and I wish the portion of chicken was larger. But man, it's heaven.

Quoting Aloha717200 (Reply 2):Applebee's. Although it has been on the decline lately, Applebees was my favourite restaurant for well over a decade. Fortunately, they still have my favourite dish on the menu: Fiesta Lime Chicken (in some places called Tequila Lime Chicken)

For some reason, my single favorite restaurant is "Rumi" in Melbourne, Australia. I've met people who aren't the biggest fan, but I have been there a few times and absolutely love it. Now, I have to go every time I am in MEL.

They don't have a website so unfortunately no pics, but it is Lebanese food.

Just one restaurant? Well that's unreasonable. The best one will vary with everyone's mood.

And frankly I have too many to list in many places.

I'm extremely picky when it comes to food, I was spoiled since my mom was a chef. That being said, as much as I hate big restaurant chains, specially the lower end ones, there's a few I go to frequently if there's one in the area. I go to these not so much because the food is great, but because I can always expect consistent quality across all their franchises, and they actually cook REAL food, not the microwaveable horse manure served at places like Crapplebees, Chillis, Olive Garden, Hooters, Outback, etc etc

And may I add there's no such thing as "Mexican" food in the US. Sorry, just no. This is not subject to debate. I've given hundreds of supposedly authentic Mexican joints the benefit of the doubt and always end up disappointed. Places like Macayo's, Chillis, and other such places are an insult to the real stuff.

Anyways, enough ranting, my faves:

Houston's - Damn good prime rib. There may be better but these guys always make it to perfection no matter where I go. Great service too, and with always gorgeous hostesses

P.F. Changs - Maybe not as authentic as a hole-in-the wall Chinese joint, but still very good overall.

RA Sushi - Very fresh, and always with insanely hot waitresses, specially in the summer months in college towns

There's a ton of hole in the walls I like to. Too many to list or even remember. I will say though two cities I've been to where hole-in-the-wall type joints are always excellent are in (downtown) Houston, and Mexico City.

Current favourite has to be Taberna Muralla located on the southwest corner of Plaza Vieja in Havana Cuba.

Nothing like sitting in the sunshine, enjoying a few strings of grilled shrimp and a tube of cold beer. In case you're wondering, it's a brew pub with the suds brewed right on the premises (several types) and they serve it in these tall tubes with a tap on the bottom. There's a smaller thin tube down the center of the beer tube holding crushed ice, so the beer stays nice and cold while it's on your table.

Quoting Fly2HMO (Reply 13):Maybe not as authentic as a hole-in-the wall Chinese joint

P.F. Changs is anything but Chinese food.

Quoting Fly2HMO (Reply 13):And may I add there's no such thing as "Mexican" food in the US. Sorry, just no

I did know a real Mexican joint in Tallahassee serving authentic Mexican food to the relatively small population of Mexicans living there. No tacos or enchiladas or cheese nachos. But ropa vieja and pozole!

Yet I just don't get how many places screw up "generic" Mexican food. Take a taco, for example, get a warm, slightly browned SOFT tortilla, REAL meat, and bandera salsa made from fresh tomato, onion, cilantro, and chile serrano. Voila!

Yet every where I go to in the US somehow manages to ruin something as simple as a taco.

We don't have any of those fancy schmancy restaurants that big cities have. This is a fairly rural town. The closest you'll get to "fine dining" is Red Lobster or Sandpiper restaurants. We don't even have an Olive Garden.

Perhaps I'm easier to please, but I've quite liked the food I've had at Applebees in the past. Wingers is another favourite.

And as for the portions: The two chicken breasts are actually fairly small. I'd say 4-5 ounces each. They just look larger in the picture.

So, my apologies if my palette is not as "refined". I have my favourite restaurants based on what's available, sheesh.

Quoting Fly2HMO (Reply 13):P.F. Changs - Maybe not as authentic as a hole-in-the wall Chinese joint, but still very good overall.

P.F. Chang's is to Chinese food what Chipotle is to Mexican food. It may taste decent, but don't for a second think it's anything close to authentic Chinese.

I don't have many pictures, but here's one I'll recommend: Super Comida in San Diego. The best Mexican food I've ever had (though I've admittedly never been to Mexico). I can't say whether it was truly authentic or not, but it was different from what I'd had before, and it tasted fantastic, so that's good enough for me.

Quoting Aloha717200 (Reply 18):We don't have any of those fancy schmancy restaurants that big cities have. This is a fairly rural town.

Is there really nothing good that isn't a chain? Doesn't have to be "fine dining" - hell, my picture is of a place where the food is served in a buffet. You stand in line, you tell the people what you want, they put in on a styrofoam plate on a plastic tray, you pay, and you take the tray to a table and sit down. Fancy it's not. Tasty it is. And that's what's really important.

The Tides in Holetown, Barbados. I had the Risotto to start, then a "Thai Jumbo Shrimp Curry", finishing off with a "Homemade Double Delight Chunky Mars Bar and Oreo Cookie Cheesecake". May not sound like fine dining, but I assure you -- it is!

Shameless self-plug - I maintain a website that lists restaurants that cater for coeliacs, those with a gluten allergy. Usually this means places that mark whether menu items are gluten free or not, or if a restaurant is able to modify a dish. This certainly means that it becomes a "favourite" of mine! (or at least, of my wife, who needs this facility. The diesease makes eating out very difficult usually, unless we plan in advance.)
www.coeliaclist.co.uk

But it's not even generic. It's some sort of American-wannabe-Asian fusion. I'm not saying it tastes bad, just that you would never find any of those dishes in Asia. Besides, you know it's not real Sichuan when you need to add Tabasco!

Quoting Mir (Reply 19):P.F. Chang's is to Chinese food what Chipotle is to Mexican food. It may taste decent, but don't for a second think it's anything close to authentic Chinese.

One of my personal favourites is the Sree Krishna South Indian restaurant in Tooting, South London. The curries are excellent, but the Masala Dosai is to die for! I don't have any pics of the food, but here's a link to their website should you ever find yourself in the depths of South London:

There are a number of fine dining restaurants I enjoy, but my favourite "go there for any occasion" place is Napoli in Bocca in Haberfield, Sydney. Great woodfired pizza, but my regular order is the cozze e sugo picante (mussels with spicy tomato sauce)

(Sorry, not a great pic (stolen from a review site) - fresh black mussels, with a spicy tomto sauce, served with locally baked sourdough bread for sopping up the sauce!)

Quoting kiwiinoz (Reply 37):Have you tried the PS Cafe on Prchard Road, in one of the shopping centres at the Tanglin end. It's not as "outdoorsy" but the setting is still nice and I believe the food is a LOT better

I have indeed. I like if you get outdoor seating in which case you are facing the garden of the Thai embassy. But I still like the Black & White house they have on Dempsey Hill (or Tanglin Rd or Tanglin Village or whatever they call it now). I think it's perfect for a 10am breakfast. A similar place if you haven't been to is Rider's Cafe, next to Mimolette.

Quoting kiwiinoz (Reply 37):Absolutely love it. Looks like we have the same taste in restaurants

I've been to the one on Flinders & Hosier Ln. But I noticed there's another one, I think on Little Bourke St, somewhere between Swanston and Queen St?

Everytime I was in London I would always have to visit WAGAMAMA Japanese Noodle Restaurant. I also went to one in Dublin as well. Some of the best Japanese Noodles (outside of Japan of course) for the price. I guess it started in London and there are quite a few spread throughout the city. My whole family loves the place so much that when we were in London for New Years 08/09 for a week we ended up eating at the place twice during our stay there... I saw on their website that they have one here in the USA on the campus of Harvard University as well as two others in the Boston area. If I'm ever in the Boston area I'm going to have to stop by, but they should really consider expanding further into the US Market...

Here in AZ it is Los Dos Molinos. New Mexico cuisine based on Hatch chilis that are hot hot hot.
Back in Pittsburgh, it was hard for me to be happier with a meal as I was at Hoss's, a steak place that had on site butchers. Not sure if they are still open.

Special mention of a dessert I once had at The Cheesecake Factory that nearly made me ejaculate in my pants. It was a banana cream cheesecake that should probably be illegal.

The Trojan Horse, in Bloomington, IN. May not be "real" Greek food, but it's still really good, filling, and cheap. Wife, kid and I can dine for under $25 depending on the mood I'm in. Hummus to die for, great gyros (says the wife) and a neat atmosphere. You can watch them cook and cut the lamb off the spit from the street.

Quoting flykev (Reply 28):Whilst I cannot name a clear favorite; I was a big fan of the pizza at Giordanos whilst i was in Chicago.
Got to love that deep dish...

Being married to a once native Chicagoan, I was introduced to Chicago style deep dish at Gino's East. That stuff was mind blowing! And I got introduce my my second love: Italian beef from Portillo's.

Giordanos is fine...for you tourists Kidding, it's tasty, but I think there are better pizza places in Chicagoland. My favorite is Barone's, which is in the western suburb of Glen Ellyn. My mattress is made out of their dough...seriously, I'm not joking